It looks like it's Android season in Alltel country, because four new handsets have just dropped on the regional provider's network. As of right now, Alltel customers can choose between the Motorola Milestone X - most of us know this one as the Droid X, the LG Axis - a low-end phone with a full slide-out QWERTY, the Samsung Gem - a tiny Froyo starter phone, and the HTC Merge - a mid-range Froyo device with a slide-out QWERTY.

This many phones coming out so close together can be a little bit confusing, so allow me to break each one down for you.

Motorola Milestone X

All the power of the Droid X, just with a different name.

1GHz OMAP Processor

4.3 inch touchscreen

8GB built-in storage, SD card slot

512MB RAM

5MP rear camera with 720p video capture

Android 2.2

LG Axis

This one has been available since January of 2011, but it already seems beyond outdated.

600MHz processor

3.2 inch touchscreen

Full slide-out QWERTY keyboard

102MB built-in storage, SD card slot

256MB RAM

3MP rear camera

Android 2.1

Samsung GEM

This one originally showed up in February of 2011, and is a decent choice for anyone looking for a budget Android phone.

800MHz processor

3.2 inch touchscreen

124 MB built-in storage, SD card slot

3.2MP rear camera

Android 2.2

HTC Merge

Rumored for quite some time, this one is a solid mid-range phone.

800MHz processor

3.8 inch touchscreen

Full slide-out QWERTY

2GB built-in storage, SD card slot

512MB RAM

5MP rear camera with 720p video capture

Android 2.2

So there you go, Alltel folks - the Motorola Milestone X and the HTC Merge clearly rise above the rest, and are both solid choices. I would probably stay away from the Gem and the Axis, but something tells me that you already knew that.